Infinity Rerouted
by Goldberry
Summary: Zima was a database connected to all persocons. Dita was the attack program designed to guard him. This is their beginning. She's mine, isn't she? I want to be the first thing she sees.
1. Awakening

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Disclaimer: Chobits is property of CLAMP. I have no affiliation with the characters and I am getting no profit from this whatsoever.

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Author's Note: This story contains spoilers from both the anime and manga series. Use your own discretion when reading if you have not finished the series. The timeline for this fic is set in the past and will end where the anime and manga begin. Happy Readings!

Infinity Rerouted  
By Goldberry

Chapter One: Awakening

In the beginning, there was darkness.

He didn't mind it much. A soft voice spoke to him sometimes, when it became uncomfortable but he did not feel pain. Besides the voice he could hear the whirs and clicks of machinery, the low hum of computers processing constantly. This didn't bother him either. He wasn't sure why but he felt an affinity with his surroundings. The language of computers was easily understandable to him. They comforted him too, in the darkness and beeped words into his ears, their meanings running along his own circuitry to be stored in the vast reaches of his mind. He did not try to analyze this process. Indeed, he could not have even if he had wanted to. It was only when the voice installed the Self-Awareness software that he even knew what it was he was doing.

One moment all was black and then his eyes slowly opened and he came to life. Colors resolved themselves with infinite clarity and the figure in front of him smiled.

"Good afternoon, Zima."

It was the voice. 

"Good afternoon," he replied almost before realizing that he had spoken. It was the first time he had heard his own voice. "What is your name?"

Slender fingers brushed blonde hair out of brown eyes. "I am Dr. Tanaka Shidou and from now on, I will be your Master."

Something inside him clicked into place. "Understood." Lines of code appeared before his eyes. "I am a government issue experimental unit. For security purposes, please set a password."

His Master smiled once again. "Chobits."

"Password recorded. Voice pattern recorded. System is secure."

Master reached up and touched his cheek briefly. _Sensory systems activated. _Data poured into him, showing him his environment and he stiffened slightly. He was shackled to a wall, a plethora of wires and cables attached to him, feeding him. His ear sockets were full and yet, he knew, he could handle more. He had been built for it. Then why…

"You are not quite complete, Zima." Tanaka told him, walking away to pick up a clipboard from a nearby work table. "Your hard drive remains mostly empty except for basic software and you are insanely vulnerable to outside attack." His Master glanced at him quickly. "But don't worry. All of these things will be remedied. Once your firewall has been completed the downloading process will begin and you will be done here." She paused, her dark eyes regarding him seriously, "How do you feel?"

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CHOBITS protocol initiated. A thousand different emotions cascaded into him at once.

"Tired."

"Ah, yes. That is to be expected." She picked up a pen and jotted a note on her clipboard, her next words coming so casually he almost had no time to process them. "Start hibernation mode."

He knew nothing more.

* * * * 

Tanaka Shidou had finally done it. The experiment had been a success. He was perfect. More daunting than the prototype Chobits, Zima had been fashioned as an adult male, tall and dark of hair and eye. She had been glad to see that upon his birth his personality had seemed focused and intuitive, traits he would need if he was to fulfill his required role. And she hoped that he would. Of course, she wouldn't know for sure until more of his personality and mannerisms could be recorded but she had a feeling that the government would be satisfied with him. He had the most advanced CPU of all persocons, second only to Hibiya's twin creations, and his memory capacity alone was that of twenty personal persocons alone. Surely he would be strong enough to survive the download.

She did not want to think about what would happen if he did not.

Her superiors were impatient to create a restraining force to the Hibiya's powerful Chobits, two systems which could ultimately produce a security risk to normal persocons everywhere. Whether or not they were actually dangerous, Tanaka didn't know. Her orders had been to copy the Hibiya's work and make a Chobits powerful enough to rival Freya. One that would act as a database connecting all persocons everywhere. Such a task had been unthinkable at first. Persocons had become immensely popular over the years and she could not even begin to guess how many different models had been distributed all over the world. To create a being that could hold every person's information within his hard drive was simply madness. 

And yet, gazing up at him, she wondered. Chobits were unlike other persocons. They had feelings, if limited ones, and only if the developer did not install a logical processing program. Emotions were not logical. But it had been discovered that Chobits could recognize and process feelings if the situation was congruent to learning. Watching Freya interact with Dr. Hibiya had been surprising to say the least. If Tanaka hadn't seen the distinctive ear sockets, she would have never guessed that the two innocent young girls sitting quietly in the shade of an oak tree were anything other than what they appeared. Yes, it was amazing what technology could do. The Hibiya's had started something that had quickly seized the world in wonder and yet it seemed they were the most oblivious to what that their science meant. Instead they were content simply watching their "children" and wishing for their happiness. Tanaka did not disagree with them, but after all, a persocon was a persocon. Even if that persocon was a Chobits. 

"Ah, what I am I doing," Tanaka murmured to herself before flipping through the pages on her clipboard. Adjusting her glasses she skimmed her notes, making changes as she went. Despite her obvious progress with the databank, she had not lied to Zima. Though she would install many protection programs into his interface, there would not be room on the hard drive for an attack program should he later be successfully hacked into. Her answer to this problem had been solved, surprisingly enough, by Freya and Elda. Tanaka had designed a second governmental Chobits, this one small and female to act as a sort of living firewall for Zima, an attack program that would protect him from outside interference. She was only 81% complete and would not be ready for activation for another few days but Tanaka had hopes for the diminutive Chobits. Unlike Zima, the attack persocon had been given a logic program. It was a necessity considering that any hesitation in protecting Zima could end in part of his data being corrupted or even lost. No, the databank's shield had to be unwavering and determined to complete her mission objective: to protect Zima at all costs. It was a little sad really, to think that Zima would be able question himself and the motives of those around him while his soon-to-be companion would not unless they were related to her mission. But, it was the way of things. 

Persocons were only computers, after all. 

* * * * 

Two days later, Tanaka began to question that fact. The government issue Chobits, Zima, was unlike anything she had expected. He was completely finished except for the data download and everything he did and said was like unraveling a mystery. He was curious and seemed to have a mild sense of humor that often caught her unawares. She had not subverted the Master level protocol as the Hibiya's had done in order to get their twins to call them "mama" and "papa". No, Zima knew that she was his Master and no other but that didn't deter him much. He seemed to her like a child that was discovering things about himself that if he had been human he would have known all along. He was constantly surprised by his appearance in a mirror but would then laugh low in his throat if she asked him if his external configuration software was running slow. Zima's personality was his own and no one else's. It was this fact that often had Tanaka up at all hours of the night, wondering just what exactly she had given birth to. Not to mention she still had another Chobits awaiting the same activation. 

Sighing a little to herself, she patted Zima on the shoulder as she plugged him into her diagnostic equipment, turning a little so she could read the monitor. Familiar code scrolled by and she smiled. 

"Everything looks good, Zima. Can you confirm?"

He smiled slightly in return. "Yes. All internal systems are functioning at top capacity." His dark eyes watched as she inserted a disk into her personal computer. A set of scans opened on the screen and he blinked. "What are those?"

"These are the configuration maps for your protection program, Dita." She looked over her shoulder to gauge his reaction. "What do you think of her?" 

Zima was still a moment and then he reached forward ever so slowly and touched the revolving image on the screen, his expression a mixture of seriousness and amazement. 

And then he laughed that deep laugh of his.

"She's cute."

Tanaka raised an eyebrow. He really did have an odd personality for a Chobits. "I'll take that as your approval."

He nodded, "Yes, I approve. She is to be my attack program?"

"Yes. Her anti-virus and attack software is top of the line and her logistics drive makes your safety her number one mission objective, not to mention her hacking skills will be extraordinary."

He looked at her with a slight frown. "Hacking skills?"

Tanaka smoothed her expression and turned back to her computer. "Don't worry, Zima. There are some things you can't know yet. Understood?"

"Understood, Master."

"Then download Dita's scans."

"Executing." Zima's eyes grew vacant and there was a soft whir as he followed her orders. Five seconds later he was finished. Tanaka allowed herself to smile once again.

"Well, shall we wake Dita?"

* * * * 

Chitose Hibiya pressed her fingers against the observation glass, her gaze fixed on the small Chobits still shackled to the wall, thin cables covering most of her body. Tanaka's latest design had black hair just like Zima's with the scientist's trademark tail of long hair pulled over one shoulder. What her personality would be had yet to be discovered as she had not been activated yet, but Chitose already felt a close bond with both Zima and the still-sleeping Dita. It was always like that for her. Every Chobits, no, every _persocon_ was engraved on her heart as surely as they would be engraved into Zima's mind. Despite the fact that she knew what the two would ultimately be used for, she did not have the heart to hate them. They had been created by humans, designed with the technology she and her husband had instituted. It was not their fault. 

It was hers. 

She moved closer to the glass as Tanaka and Zima entered the room and she watched as the tall, lithe Chobits immediately crossed to where Dita hung, wired to the wall as her system charged. It was the first time he had seen her and Chitose felt her heart ache a little as he reached out to touch one smooth cheek. It reminded her of how Freya had been in the beginning and sometimes still was with her husband. Perhaps, if she let Zima and Dita meet the girls… Well, it was a thought. 

Her eyes were drawn to Zima again as he moved closer to Dita until there was barely space between them. Chitose inhaled sharply as the male Chobits slipped an arm beneath Dita's back, the other gently holding the girl's head to his shoulder. His voice reached Chitose through the speaker system. 

"She's mine, isn't she? I want to be the first thing she sees."

Tanaka seemed to be taking Zima's strange behavior rather calmly despite the fact that Chitose knew neither of them had put anything like this in his programming. Had Tanaka later inserted a bonding program like the one used between persocon and Master, only this one tampered to be directed at Dita? It would make sense if she had. The two had to be compatible as they would spend most of their lives in each other's presence. But this… Zima's affection. It was astounding. Could it be…?

"All right, Zima. Please standby."

The younger scientist pressed a few keys on her keyboard and then flipped a switch on a nearby console. The lights immediately flickered and a hum filled the room. Ruby eyes slowly opened as Dita's shackles retracted and her body fell forward. Zima caught her effortlessly and set her on her feet, a hand on the top of her head. Chitose felt her heart skip a beat as the smaller Chobits looked up at him, her eyes vacant as her system booted up. 

Zima smiled. 

"Hello, Dita. I've been waiting for you."

On the floor below, Tanaka Shidou looked up at the observation room, meeting Chitose's eyes through the glass. Zima's creator had a look on her face that Chitose could read perfectly as she was sure the same question was mirrored in her own. 

What had they done?

To Be Continued…

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If you like Dita & Zima I have recently created a fan listing for the couple. You can find it at ___ Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter! _


	2. Synchronizing

Infinity Rerouted

Chapter Two: Synchronizing

"CPU, hard drive, memory…all systems check." Dita's voice echoed through the lab as she conducted a self analysis. The small Chobits sat quietly in a chair, her ear sockets full of cords that allowed Tanaka's system to check her internal functions. Tanaka, herself, stood nearby, light reflecting off her glasses as she systematically crossed things off her clipboard. Dita was making great progress. Her software was working perfectly and for the past few days she and Zima seemed to be building a special sort of rapport that existed only between them. Tanaka never saw one without the other and though their bond was pleasing to her as if justified all of her hard work, she was also worried. Zima was affectionate towards Dita but his behavior, if somewhat more intimate than she had thought possible, was still within the parameters she had set. Unfortunately, Dita was not this way. Although she seemed to like Zima and trust him, she was focused solely on her mission of protecting him. This, too, Tanaka had expected due to the logical program she had installed in the female attack Chobits, but she sometimes felt sorry that Dita would never be able to express her emotions, if she even had any. The simple concept of "love" or "friendship" would be alien to her and because those ideas were not linear and could not be easily put into words, the little Chobits would find herself unable to process them. In essence, though she might one day feel those things, she would never be able to express them. It was not what she had been built for and was, therefore, irrelevant. For his part, Zima seemed to accept that Dita did not understand some of the things he did. If he hugged her, Dita might hug him back but she did not understand the rudimentary feelings behind his actions. She would simply hug him because he expected it and because Dita's number one concern was Zima's well being. 

Tanaka's superiors, of course, saw no problem in this. Zima and Dita were persocons, and though they were special, they had only been built to fulfill a role set for them by their creators. Their feelings were not considered. Indeed, they did not exist. They had a job to do and they would do it or they would be terminated and the project started over from scratch. 

Tanaka was not about to let that happen. 

"Alright, Dita, try these." Tanaka reached over and slipped a pair of dark glasses over the girl's eyes. "Is the focus alright?"

"Yes, Master."

Tanaka nodded and activated a nearby viewing monitor that would mirror what Dita was seeing through the sunglasses. "Initiate training sequence."

"Training sequence commenced."

Tanaka's monitor flashed red and a low level alarm sounded. Dita twitched in her chair. "Level 1 intrusion found. Preparing to quarantine." Tanaka hit a few keys on her keyboard. "Hacker has progressed to Level 2. Attack imminent." Electricity began to flash around Dita and the Chobits frowned. Blue sparks showered from the cords and scattered at her feet. Tanaka's screen went dark. "Hacker immobilized. Damage to the system: zero. Damage to self unit: zero." 

Tanaka smiled and removed Dita's glasses. "Well done. End simulation program.  


"Ending simulation." Dita's eyes cleared and she met Tanaka's gaze. "It was easy."

"Not every hack will be, Dita. You have to be prepared for the ones that aren't but I think you will do well in any case. We'll up the simulations until Zima's download occurs and then your real work will begin."

"I was born to protect him," she answered calmly. Tanaka nodded.

"Yes, you were. Shall we do a synchronization test?"

"Whatever you wish."

Tanaka pushed the intercom button on the wall. "Zima, please report to the production lab."

A minute later, the hydraulic doors swished open and Zima walked in leisurely, hands in his pockets. He smiled smoothly upon seeing Dita. 

"Ah, there you are." He came up and stood beside her, one hand descending to rest on her shoulder. "We are to run more tests, Master?"

Tanaka pushed her glasses up on her nose. "Yes. Before the data transfer, I'd like to have some concrete numbers to report to the committee."

"Very well," Zima replied and Dita stood, her head only coming even with Zima's waist. She pulled a linking cable from her ear socket and stood on tiptoe to plug herself into Zima's corresponding plug. 

"Alright, Dita, just like before," Tanaka instructed. "This is just a test to make sure you can decode Zima's hard drive and move freely within him. Since he doesn't have any data yet, be careful not to be drawn in too deep." She took a breath and stepped back to better observe. "Commence merge."

Dita's eyes went vacant as she entered Zima, skirting the edges of his mind while staying clear of the void in the center where his governmental data would be installed soon. 

"Do you feel anything, Zima?" Tanaka asked, "Is it uncomfortable?"

Zima closed his eyes. "I can feel her." He paused a moment. "It's like wind. It doesn't hurt."

Tanaka made a note on her clipboard. "Excellent. Disengage."

Dita blinked and her garnet eyes cleared as Zima unplugged her, his hand lightly touching her hair before he let it drop. Tanaka cleared her throat. 

"It's looks like everything is proceeding nicely. Zima, the data transfer will start this evening. Please compress all files before then."

"Yes, Master."

As the two Chobits left, Tanaka felt herself frown in worry as Zima guided Dita out the door with a hand on the small of her back. Those two… She didn't really know what to do about them. Chitose had suggested letting them meet the twins and Tanaka did not disagree but she didn't think it would solve anything. Zima was the way he was and there was nothing she could alter that would change that. If he had feelings for Dita, well, they were both persocons and so much about Chobits remained a mystery. Perhaps it was not uncommon for a Chobits to fall in love. After all, there were only four functioning Chobits in the world and both Freya and Elda seemed to love their parents. Maybe she was worrying for nothing. 

Pushing the two persocons out of her mind she began to ready the lab for the download hoping she was right.

* * * * 

Dressed in her white lab coat and her hair pulled back from her face, Chitose Hibiya looked like the ideal scientist. Unfortunately, she didn't feel like it. Her insides had knotted themselves into pieces and she wished for the hundredth time that her husband had come to observe the transfer with her. She could have used his comforting presence but he had stayed with the girls, keeping them company while she went to see if Tanaka's creation could withstand the immense persocon database download. The government had always wanted to put the National Databank into a single persocon but the technology had not been advanced enough to support such a venture. When Chitose and her husband had built the first Chobits, the capital celebrated their success for it meant that finally a persocon powerful enough to hold the databank could be born. Zima was the result of this wish but Chitose had her fears. What if the huge overwhelming volume of information fried his circuits? It had happened before with test cases. Two of them had simply melted from the onslaught, the other had exploded. But none of them had been as technically powerful as Zima and none of them had had Dita. Chitose told herself that it could work. It had to, for Tanaka's sake. And perhaps for her own as well. She loved Zima and Dita too. 

Everything was ready for the download. Zima was seated in a comfortable chair, his data plug already connected to the government mainframe. He looked relaxed, his hands on his knees, his eyes closed. Dita stood nearby, watching him. Tanaka stood next to her and Chitose saw her hands shake as she clasped her clipboard. Yes, this was it. 

"It is unknown how long the process will take," Tanaka was saying in carefully controlled tones, "A successful download has never occurred. You will be the first, Zima."

The male Chobits replied without opening his eyes. "Understood."

"Once the transfer of every persocon's data begins we can not stop the download without losing a portion of the data. Do your best to accept all files and store them in code. It will be alot to take in but your CPU and OS should be able to handle it."

"Yes."

Tanaka motioned to one of her assistants. "Begin." A flip of a switch and Zima's eyes flew open, light racing across his vision as he began to process the influx of data pouring into him. He did not make a sound but his fingers clenched into fists and his spine stiffened as his entire system devoted itself to simply operating under the extreme conditions. He would not be able to see or hear them until the download was complete. Chitose linked her fingers together and began to pray. 

For half an hour they stood and watched as Zima absorbed the highly classified data of every persocon in the world. If he survived he would be able to find any persocon no matter where they were and would be able to access them if he so desired. Such a databank would be invaluable to the government who wanted a means of restraining the growing numbers of persocons. Zima was a form of control, she understood that, but she often wondered if the government didn't also have a different reason for ordering his creation, a deeper reason than just a wish for a complex file system. 

The lights flickered overhead.

"What is that?" Tanaka asked sharply. Her assistant hurried to a computer monitor.

"There's a surge in the transfer, a hiccup!" he replied, "It's coming through now!"

In his chair, Zima's back arched and his whole body convulsed, his eyes wide in a face contorted with pain. Tanaka ran to her personal computer.

"How far along is the download?" she shouted. 

"89% complete, Doctor!"

The lights blinked on and off again and several monitor screens exploded, showering the scientists with shattered glass. Zima began to scream, his body thrashing against the cables that held him. Chitose hurried forward but Dita beat her to his side. Without hesitation, the attack Chobits jumped into Zima's lap, straddling his hips as she pulled out her connector cable and plugged herself into his ear socket without a sound. Somewhere in the lab, Tanaka cried out. 

"No! She'll be destroyed!"

The lights came back on.

Chitose gasped out loud. 

Zima's body had stilled and though his jaw was tight with remembered pain, his eyes were back to their normal vacancy as the download continued. Dita, though, was now the one in danger. Her head was thrown back and her ruby eyes were closed, her whole body fairly humming with energy as her system struggled to control the flow of data coming through her and into Zima. Bolts of electricity crackled around the two Chobits as the scientists scrambled to discover what had happened.

Tanaka would have run to her creation's side but Chitose stopped her, pulling her back at the last moment. 

"Let me go!" the irate doctor said, pulling against Hibiya's hold on her arm. "She'll disappear if this continues! She wasn't built to survive such a massive transfer!"

Chitose held on to her former assistant. "Don't touch her, Tanaka! Don't you see? She isn't trying to contain the data, she's simply slowing it! She's acting as a buffer between Zima and the government mainframe. If you unplug her they will both die!"

Tanaka paled but when Chitose released her the young scientist stayed where she was, watching hopelessly as Dita worked to save Zima's life. 

It was almost a shock when, ten minutes later, Dita suddenly fell forward, her body hunching over as she shut down, her head coming to rest against Zima's shoulder. Tanaka took a hesitant step forward but then Zima shuddered and straightened, the light dying in his eyes as he came back to himself. Immediately his arms came up to curve around Dita and hold her to him, his eyes closing as he buried his face in her neck. His exhausted voice came to them slightly muffled by Dita's hair. 

"Download complete."

Every human in the room exhaled in relief. It was done. But Tanaka was clearly not thinking of that. She hurried forward, tears in the corner of her eyes. 

"Zima, is she alright? Is she…?"

It was a moment before he replied. "She's still functional. She managed to regulate the transfer until the end even though she should not have been able to. Her system has taken damage."

Silence descended on the room and though Tanaka's assistants tried to take Dita from him, Zima would not release her until finally Tanaka invoked her password and ordered him to hibernate. As he shut down, Tanaka loaded Dita onto a metal stretcher while Chitose helped her assistants carry Zima out of the lab. 

As she flipped the lights off on her way out, Chitose Hibiya made a silent vow that it was the end. No more Chobits would ever be made if she could help it. The developers got attached to them. If Dita ceased functioning, Tanaka would be sad. Chobits were no longer just persocons. Dita had saved Zima without an order from anyone. 

And now the National Databank existed only within a single persocon.

"No more," Chitose whispered, and closed the lab door behind her.

To Be Continued…


	3. Processing

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Author's Note: Zima's particular way of addressing Dita in this chapter and later on is taken directly from the manga. Often Zima will say something like "Dita, love, don't trouble yourself." So when you see the 'love' after her name, it's not something I threw in because I'm a hopeless romantic. ^_~ Clamp wrote it themselves. 

Infinity Rerouted

Chapter Three: Processing

It was the first time he had not felt comfortable in the lab.

The machines beeped at him and energy lines wavered across computer screens as they recorded Dita's processes. Without being directly linked to her he couldn't tell exactly how well she was doing but he knew she was still there, in front of him. The files upon files of information now stored within him also included a load of information on her. By focusing on it, he could tell that she had not yet ceased to function. She was still working, still connected to him as all persocons were, and that simple fact made him happy as he sat by her side, waiting. Tanaka had been working for two days to fix Dita's fried circuits and correct the system data that had been destroyed or damaged. The little Chobits own personal firewall had been blasted clear away and software had had to be reinstalled as well as a check to make sure all her other programs were still operating. His Master had finally retired an hour ago for some much needed rest, telling him that Dita _would_ awaken, it was just a matter of time.

It was alright with him. He was a very patient man. He could wait although, looking up at her, he wished she wouldn't make him. 

Dita had been strapped to the wall again, shackles around her wrists and ankles keeping her in place. Cables literally dripped over her, tying her to the Tanaka's personal computers. She looked very small hanging there although her physical size seemed to be no measure of how truly strong she was. During the download, when his hard drive had begun to crash, he had felt her inside him, helping him. Her presence had been sweet compared to the searing pain the surge had caused him. Later, Tanaka told him that without Dita's intervention, his OS would have been ripped to shreds. In effect, he would have been terminated. 

But he hadn't been. 

"Dita, love, it's time to come back to me," he said aloud, calmly reaching up to cup her cheek in his hand. Strands of her dark hair moved through his fingers as he did so and he smiled slightly. "Come back to me."

There was an audible click and then a hum as Dita's system rebooted, Tanaka's computers beeping as the female Chobits opened her eyes slowly. Her ruby gaze met his and she blinked once. 

"Zima."

"Don't worry. I'll get you down." Effortlessly, he snapped her shackles with his fingers, catching her against his body as she fell away from the wall. Surprisingly enough, she made no move to leave the circle of his arms once she was free. Instead she leaned into him as she put a hand over her forehead. 

"Am I broken?" Before he could reply, her eyes unfocused. "Initiating self scan." Seconds later, he watched bemusedly as she looked up at him. "All systems check."

"Of course. You're strong, Dita." Placing his hands on either side of her face, he bent down until their foreheads were pressed together and he could look into her eyes. "But don't ever do that again."

She protested, "But, Zima, I was made specifically to protect you."

"I don't care."

Her small hand gripped his wrist and his eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Zima, but I won't ever allow anyone to hurt you. No matter what and no matter who," she said fiercely. There was a moment of silence as Zima stared at her and then he laughed softly causing her to frown. Before she could scold him he hugged her tightly. 

"Alright, Dita, have it your way."

* * * * 

"How is everything, Tanaka?" Chitose asked, setting a cup of tea in front of the younger scientist. The blonde haired woman picked it up with a nod of thanks. "Are those kids doing well?"

Tanaka snorted softly. "Better than well I should say." Chitose arched an eyebrow and her former assistant continued, "They are almost inseparable. It's part of the reason I brought them here. I wanted them to interact with others of their kind."

As one both doctors turned to look through the sliding glass doors of the Hibiya house and out onto the lawn where four Chobits sat talking in the grass. The twins, Freya and Elda, sat smiling and chatting, the flower wreaths they had been making discarded as they made new friends. Zima, the new National Databank, was lying sprawled in the grass, his hands behind his head, eyes closed. Chitose would have thought him asleep if she hadn't seen his mouth move as he replied to something Elda had said. Sitting next to him, Dita only looked ill at ease. She spoke openly but there was something in her eyes and expression when she looked at Freya and Elda. Dislike? Suspicion?

Fear?

Chitose took a sip from her china cup, worried despite herself. " About Dita, is she alright? She looks a bit out of her element."

"I'm not sure. Her repairs took a lot of time but she should be running at full capacity." Tanaka's brow furrowed. "It's strange, but since Zima's download, Dita has become much more protective of him. Her reaction was not foreseen but it's not undesirable." She cleared her throat. "What about Freya? I heard… I heard she has been a little sad."

Chitose set her tea cup down slowly, willing her hands to remain steady. "Yes, she has been very withdrawn lately. She spends more and more time alone and she always appears to be thinking very hard about something. Elda cheers her but…" She released a pent up breath suddenly, her voice quickening. "Tana, I am worried. If I didn't know better I thought she might be heartbroken about something. Even her sister can't make her smile for long. She's keeping something…inside her. A secret."

Tanaka frowned. "Can't you access her memory with your password?"

"I won't. She may be a Chobits, but she's also my daughter. I won't do that to her." Chitose's voice was final. 

"Well, perhaps it will pass then." Tanaka reached over to grasp her former teacher's hand. "Don't worry, Chitose. I'm sure everything will work out in time."

The older woman tried to smile. "I hope you're right."

* * * * 

"Eh, Dita."

The attack Chobits rubbed her eyes and stretched, turning over on Zima's stomach so she could see him better. She had been about to fall asleep, secure as she was between Zima's legs, her head pillowed on his chest. "What?"

He smiled in that secretive way of his. "How did you like Freya and Elda? They're like us, you know. Shidou based our systems on theirs."

"I am not like them," Dita said immediately, causing him to tilt his head at her. She rested her chin on her hands as she continued. "There's something to them. They have something I don't. Something _we_ don't."

His eyebrows rose. "What?"

"I don't know."

"You're being awfully vague for a logic-based persocon."

She ignored his teasing. "Don't you know what it is?"

That secretive smile was back. "I have an idea." He tapped her nose with one finger. "But I'm not going to tell you just yet since I'm not completely sure."

"Zima," she said warningly.

"You're very cute when you're angry."

Disgruntled, she turned over once again but when Zima wrapped an arm around her a few minutes later she didn't push him away. He liked for her to be near him and if her presence made him happy then she would stay with him forever. 

The sunlight seeped into her, warming her and the feel of Zima beneath her, safe and sound, gave her a sense of calm. Soon enough her eyes began to close and just as her sleep mode took effect, Zima's quiet voice reached her. 

"Someone Just For Me."

To Be Continued…


	4. Hacking

__

Author's Note: A hug to everyone who reviewed. Your comments keep me going. From here on in there will be major spoilers for the final volumes of the manga. Since the anime and manga each ended slightly differently I'm trying to keep this story somewhere between the two. Use your own discretion when reading. 

Infinity Rerouted

Chapter Four: Hacking

The first hack happened three days later.

One moment he had been sprawled out in a chair, Dita curled in his lap sleeping, the next his body had lurched forward, a small grunt escaping him. He felt funny, his head… He reached up to touch his temple and a lance of pain flashed behind his eyes. He grimaced. 

"Well, he's a nasty one."

At the sound of his voice, Dita woke, her gaze immediately flying to his face and sitting up when she saw his expression. 

"What is it? Is someone trying to get in?" 

Her voice was worried and if he hadn't been so busy trying to shield himself he would have smiled to hear it. "Yes, he's already broken through the first protection level." He laughed painfully. "Rather rough fellow. I think he's in a hurry."

"He knows I'll stop him." Dita pulled out her connector cable, her eyes and face reflecting something he had never seen from her before. Anger. Within seconds she had plugged herself in and there was a rush inside him as he felt her fly through his mind, her attack program racing towards the hacker who had now bypassed the second and third levels. Zima grunted again as the hacker dug deeper, leaving a trail of damage that Dita could have followed without looking. It was a relief when she caught up with him, her program trapping and binding him. Only once did he strike out and Dita jerked in Zima's lap before tightening her hold on the hacker who shattered, his system crashing. When Dita finally unplugged herself there was nothing left of him and all the damage he had done she had repaired. 

Giving a little tired sigh, Dita rested her forehead against Zima's collarbone and he held her gently, suddenly feeling a rush of pride for his companion and protector. 

"Well done, my dear. Alright?"

She straightened. "Yes. Is Zima?"

He smiled. "Yes. You took care of me."

Her voice was flat when she spoke. "I don't like other people inside of you. They hurt you. That should not happen. They might break you." Her ruby eyes pierced him and he blinked at the tension he felt in her small body. "I don't want you to break."

For a moment he was speechless and that surprised him for he usually always knew just what to say. He had never thought to hear such things from her. She was usually so… neutral when it came to him. Lately she had started telling him a little more of what she was feeling but this…

He pulled her to him quickly, holding her close as he always did, hoping she could feel how full his heart was. "Thank you. You've made me very happy, Dita."

"Zima," she said softly, and though he knew she was confused, she still let him hold her. 

And it was enough. 

* * * * 

The phone rang. Tanaka Shidou reached for it sleepily.

"Hello? Oh, Hibiya, is that you?"

…

"I… what do you mean 'dying'? I don't— "

…

"Yes, I can, but if you're right I don't think— "

…

Tanaka closed her eyes briefly. "Yes, Chitose, I promise. I'll bring them both."

* * * * 

Zima stood in the corner of the room, the black trench coat he wore and his dark looks making him blend seamlessly with the shadows. He felt very hollow, standing there, watching the girl on the bed die of a broken heart. In his head he could still feel her but the signal was weak and growing weaker. She would not last long and when she finally stopped functioning her files would be closed, left to collect dusk in the vast reaches of his memory. He didn't want that to happen, but there wasn't anything he could do. Looking at Freya, he understood, as Tanaka had known he would. She had chosen her "Someone Just For Me", a mission parameter set into the prototype Chobits at the moment of their creation. From his data, Zima knew that Dr. Ichiro Mihara had developed Freya out of his love for his wife and that same love had been given to both Freya and Elda. They were loved and so they had been given the capacity to love in return, to choose special people to receive their feelings. Only Freya's "Someone" could never be hers. Zima knew, her blank eyes had told him so. The choice had been made but it didn't matter and now that same choice was destroying Freya. 

Turning his head, he looked to Dita, the dim light in the room reflecting off the smooth black leather she wore. She was standing by Freya's bedside, watching the girl steadily. If she felt anything, it did not show on the attack Chobits' face. But then, that was his Dita. Always serious.

__

Someone Just For Me.

"Dita."

She turned her head to look at him, garnet eyes beautiful in the darkness. The night suited her. He said nothing, simply looked at her but she nodded once as if he had given her an order and pulled out her connection plug. She fit it into Freya's ear socket and sat herself on the edge of Freya's bed, her eyes going vacant. 

Zima watched both girls with quiet anxiety. Freya was powerful and though she was fading, she might still be able to hurt Dita despite the fact that Dita was also a Chobits. Fortunately, his fear would be unfounded.

A minute later, Dita's eyes cleared and she unplugged herself slowly. "She won't wake up, Zima. She doesn't wish to. I'm not sure she even heard my voice." 

"It's alright, Dita," he told her reassuringly, "I didn't think she would, but thank you for trying." 

Dita didn't reply and after a moment he went to her, a little concerned at how quiet she was being. Usually, if she felt they were wasting their time, she would tell him outright, always conscious of their true duties. This silence from her was a little unsettling. Her crimson eyes never left Freya's face, even when he laid a hand on her thin shoulder. 

"This is what comes from trying to be human." Her low voice vibrated through him, her words catching somewhere near his heart. He closed his eyes against the pain they caused. "We aren't humans, Zima. We're persocons. We aren't meant to be happy."

"Are you sure?" he whispered quietly. She didn't look at him. 

"Yes. 'Happiness" is something I don't understand. _She _did, I think, but it's not for her nor for any of us. Look at what it has done to her."

He regarded his partner solemnly. "Did you see something in her mind?"

"Emptiness."

Carefully, he knelt by the bedside, folding his tall frame so that he could rest his elbows on the mattress. Sweeping aside long strands of blonde hair, he reached over and laid his palm across Freya's forehead, smiling a little for her. She probably couldn't feel him or even know he was there, but it wasn't important. _He_ knew he was there.

"It doesn't matter."

Dita glanced at him quickly. "What?"

"It doesn't matter that her love couldn't be returned. It doesn't even matter if we are persocons or humans. All that matters is that she loved someone. Even if the rest of the world can't understand, _she_ does. If she knows her own heart, it's enough." He drew his hand away from Freya. "It's enough."

Dita was watching him intently and when he finally looked up at her he saw a shadow of understanding cross her small features. "You're sad."

"Yes."

"Why?" She nodded towards Freya. "Because she is going to disappear? She is only a persocon. If she dies, they can always make another."

"That's true, but it won't be Freya."

"And this makes you sad? That she will die without happiness even though she is only a computer?"

"Dita, love, it makes me sad because if she can't have happiness, what hope is there for the rest of us? For Elda?" He looked away. "For me?"

Her answer was a long time coming. "You wanted her to be happy?"

"Yes."

"Then I will try again." 

Zima looked up just in time to see Dita lean forward, her connector in hand, a fixed look on her face as she readied herself to hack Freya's OS. His eyes widened and with a surge of speed he leaped up to stop her, his momentum carrying them both forward until Dita had fallen backwards onto the floor, Zima pinning her wrists against the carpets with his hands. Her fingers still clutched her connector. 

"Zima!"

She didn't try to escape him and as he looked down at her, holding her against the floor, all his words left him. "Don't," he whispered, "Just don't." She had been ready to enter Freya again, to try and bring a dying girl back simply because _he_ wanted her to live, it would have made _him_ happy. It was amazing and yet, so so simple. 

There was a soft _zip!_ as Dita's cable retracted into her ear adapter and he released her wrists only to lie himself down tiredly beside her, one arm and one leg thrown over Dita's body to keep her close to him. He closed his eyes as he pressed his forehead against her shoulder. 

"You're still sad," she said quietly and he shifted. 

"But for a different reason," he answered.

"It hurts me when you are sad."

His arm tightened over her waist, his fingers finding hers and locking them together. "I know."

* * * *

"I… I don't believe it." 

Tanaka Shidou didn't bother to repeat herself to her assistant. Instead she took out a computer disk from the pocket of her lab coat and slipped it into her personal computer's hard drive. Her assistant watched her with wide eyes. 

"Surely," he whispered, "Surely we don't have to. We didn't make them for that reason. It's wrong to— "

Tanaka cut him off. "We have our orders, Makoto. The security program will be installed into Dita tonight."

"What about… What about Zima? He'll want to know what we're doing to her."

Tanaka answered impatiently, suddenly angry as she felt her eyes fill with unshed tears. "I don't care what you tell him! We have an obligation to the government, no, to persocon users everywhere to keep this sort of thing from happening ever again. I will not allow a tragedy like this to repeat itself. _Do you understand?_"

Makoto paled but nodded. "Yes, Doctor."

"Then ready the lab and set the computer parameters for Dita. I must go and give my condolences to Hibiya." She hurried towards the exit, Makoto's voice following her out the doors. 

"Tell them I'm sorry about Freya, too."

* * * * 

__

Give me your heart and I will keep you safe. 

Stay with me.

To Be Continued…


	5. Beginning

__

Author's Note: A big thank you to **FierySable** who drew a gorgeous fanart for this fic. You can find it at my webpage, the link for which you can find on my ff.net profile. Sable, you're the best! And to everyone else, thanks so much for reading. This has been a joy to write. Domo arigatou gozaimashite. 

Infinity Rerouted

Chapter Five: Beginning

"You want Dita to destroy her."

Zima's voice was quiet and smooth as he stood in front of the window watching the rain fall outside. She could see his reflection in the glass but his face told her nothing of what he was thinking or feeling. Dressed in his usual black he reminded her of some dark warrior, a creature of the night. Anyone looking at his tall frame and shadowy appearance might have taken him for some sort of criminal. Not unless they got close to him would anyone know of his tender heart. 

Tanaka pushed her glasses up with a finger and refrained from sighing. Her head hurt and she was tired beyond belief but now was not the time to rest. The committee wanted confirmation that she had carried out their orders within the hour. 

"It must be done, Zima," she answered wearily. "Freya's mistake must never be repeated. It might have been enough to simply erase Elda's memory but Chitose wouldn't hear of it. When I went there tonight, Elda was simply gone and both Chitose and her husband refused to tell me what they had done with her." That had stung. She had thought Chitose trusted her but then she couldn't really blame her old teacher either. Tanaka was, after all, on the government payroll and both Ichiro and Chitose knew that. "Zima, the committee has scrapped the Chobits project and I don't believe Ichiro will ever again create another. You, Dita, and Elda are the only ones left. Since I created you and Dita, you are both safe from termination, but Elda…" She shook her head. "Ichiro admitted to me that he installed a program into Elda, a special one, before she disappeared. The program is dangerous to persocons but even more so to their owners. This is why I must upload new attack ware into Dita. As Chobits, you will be mostly immune from Elda's powers. Only you two will be able to get close enough to shut her down before she executes her special program."

Zima traced the path of falling rain drops down the window glass with his fingers. "Elda's program, what does it do?"

"I don't know."

He laughed harshly. "So we really have no idea whether it is dangerous or not."

"The government does not feel we can take the chance that it's harmless."

Zima looked at her over his shoulder. "Why are you telling me this? You are my Master. You don't need my permission to upgrade either me or Dita."

She smiled sadly. "Because, Zima, once I have finished installing the mission parameters into both of you, the Master level protocol will be subverted, buried inside your mind. Both of you will be set free to begin your search for Elda. I have no idea what Hibiya has done with her. She could be halfway across the world. You must find her before she executes her program." Tanaka cleared her throat. "This means you two must be self-sufficient. Can you do this, Zima?"

He looked away. "I can take care of Dita and she can take care of me." His eyes flashed like the lightning outside. "We will _both_ take care of Elda."

* * * *

Zima was sad. 

She could tell by the way he stood and by the way he forced himself to smile placidly as if nothing were amiss. She didn't understand _why_ he was sad though. Tanaka had told her that they were putting another program into her, attackware that was built for a specific purpose: to annihilate a threat to persocons everywhere. Elda. If that girl was a danger to persocons, to Zima, then she would fulfill her mission. It wasn't something to be sad about. It was a necessity. It was the logical outcome of her programming. Even if Zima didn't like it. 

"Makoto, ready the link for the upload," Tanaka said crisply. Her assistant nodded and slipped a connector into Dita's ear socket gently. The doctor focused her gaze on Dita. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"Begin."

Dita's eyes went blank as Tanaka's computer installed the new software into her. It took only a minute but when it was done she felt oddly unfulfilled. Incomplete. As if something had been taken away. 

She blinked. "Installation complete."

"Dita?" It was Zima and his dark eyes were watching her carefully. 

"I'm alright."

"Good." Tanaka said, setting her clipboard down with more force than necessary. When she looked at Dita again though, her expression was almost melancholy. "We'll need to do a trial run to make sure the software is strong enough to stop Elda's program. With the information in his databank, Zima will be the one to do the tracking. Dita, you will have the responsibility of… terminating the rogue program." Tanaka handed each of them a pair of dark sunglasses. "These are mobile monitors. They'll be useful in the field."

Zima slipped the glasses over his eyes. "If you don't know exactly what Elda's program will do, how can we do a test run?"

"Chitose has given us a dummy program. It is not as current as the one Elda has and, once activated, nothing will happen but it is a good way to test you and Dita. If you can track down the program and stop it then you will be ready." She took a breath as Dita put on her glasses. "Ready?"

Both Chobits answered as one. "Yes."

* * * * 

An hour later, Zima sat in a darkened room on the fourth floor holding a very tired Dita. The dummy program, embodied in one of the lab's test persocons, lay nearby as well, its circuits fried beyond repair. Even the room itself was disarrayed. As part of the test, Tanaka had activated the program before they could get to the infected persocon. To stop the execution of a program already in progress, especially one they knew nothing about, had been difficult for Dita but she had pulled through. 

It had been a lot more dangerous then they had thought. 

Being as gentle as he could, Zima brushed short strands of dark hair out of Dita's face, noticing the places where she had been singed. Her right ear connector had splayed, the outer casing cracking under the immense pressure. It would have to be replaced. Thankfully, those were the extent of her injuries besides her low energy reserves. After she had successfully completed the termination, he had shut her down to rest, mostly against her wishes. She would be angry with him later but he couldn't help but smile as he held her. She truly was something. It was almost unfair that all the dangerous situations could only be handled by her, but the fact that she handled them so fearlessly was the real thing. And for him. Always for him. 

Watching her sleep was almost hypnotizing. 

"Who would have imagined?" he murmured. Surely not their creators. And surely not Dita. His little Dita, who professed not to have emotions, but who expressed them without realizing them for what they were. A mystery of programming that defied even infinity. Oh what a pair they made. 

"I wonder what will become of us," he whispered, stroking Dita's hair, a gesture more for his own comfort than hers. Would they spend the rest of their functioning years hunting the night for the last Chobit? And if they found her, would they fulfill their mission? He wasn't sure. He had a feeling that everything would not turn out so simply. The dummy program had brought a few things to light, things he wasn't quite sure what to think of. For instance, why had Hibiya given them the dummy program in the first place? Surely she could not want him and Dita to terminate her last daughter, but if Elda executed her program that was exactly what they would have to do. There was only one answer he could think of. 

She didn't think Elda would initiate the special program. 

This lent credence to the government's idea that Elda was dangerous. If everyone was hoping that Elda _didn't_ use her program, even her creator, than he and Dita were justified in shutting her down should she use it. But, if Elda could only choose not to…

"We would be free," he breathed and leaned back against the wall, his own eyes closing. Yes, the program would have to be stopped, he could see that, but he truly wished almost more than anything that Elda would not fail as her sister had. 

Cradling Dita against him, he allowed his system to hibernate, one last hope escaping his lips. 

"I believe in her."

* * * * 

"It's done," Tanaka Shidou said, watching the lab's monitors go black one by one. Oddly enough, looking around the spotless, empty room, she wasn't sad. She wouldn't miss the place. If anything she would miss being a part of something that had had such high hopes. She had been proud to work for Ichiro and Chitose and though she no longer wanted to make Chobits, that pride was still there whenever she saw Zima and Dita. She had down everything she could for them. After successfully completing the trial run, Tanaka had updated them both for the last time. She had fixed Dita's ear panels and had subverted the Master level protocol on both of them. They were on their own now, set free in a world were they would have to struggle to be seen for _who_ they were and not for _what _they were. But she knew, deep down inside, they would be alright. 

And if they weren't, if humans could not accept them, there was always Elda's program. 

Stepping out into the night, she shrugged into her light coat, pulling her blonde hair out of the way as she looked up at the sky. Silhouetted against the stars, two figures both tall and small stood solemnly on a nearby rooftop. From the ground she couldn't tell if they were looking at her or not but she smiled anyway, a little tearful. 

"Please, be happy."

* * * * 

The wind rushing through her hair was brisk and when she looked over at Zima his features were gilded in moonlight. It was an atmosphere that was new to her but she felt a sort of excitement all the same. This was the beginning. They had a mission and she meant to see it through. Till the end, whatever it may be. 

"Dita." Zima was grinning at her. "Looks like the rain stopped. "

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You're insane, you know that?"

"So you've told me." 

She sniffed and looked out towards the darkened horizon, starting suddenly when two strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up at Zima, surprised, and found him looking down at her with something unidentifiable in his eyes. It made her anxious, that smoldering look. 

"It's just us now, you know? We have to take care of each other."

She crossed her arms over his, thinking he needed reassurance. "I won't let anyone hurt you," she said fiercely. He hugged her tighter. 

"The night belongs to us," he said, releasing her to step farther down the rooftop. He turned back and held his hand out for her. "Shall we make the most of it, Dita, love?"

There was that deep look again. 

She slowly put her hand in his, their fingers interlocking. Zima smiled. 

"Yes, let's go."

__

My Someone Just For Me.

****

THE END.


End file.
